


They’ve Got the Kingdom Locked Up

by theshipsfirstmate



Series: All of These Minutes Passing [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, season 4 spec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 12:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4747043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theshipsfirstmate/pseuds/theshipsfirstmate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 4 spec ficlet, based on images of Team Arrow from the new trailer. </p><p>"Oliver knows he’s got to hold eye contact with the camera the second they go live, but for now, he can’t pull his eyes away from Felicity."</p>
            </blockquote>





	They’ve Got the Kingdom Locked Up

_Based on[these pics of Team Arrow](http://queensarrow.tumblr.com/post/128481701849/team-arrow-in-the-arrow-season-4-trailer) from the trailer and the knowledge that this is almost definitely not how this is going to go down._

_A/N: More trailer feels. My brain’s still not back from the desert, but apparently there was some muse built up in there. Title from “Castle” by Halsey, because Badlands was pretty much the soundtrack to my road trip.  
_

**They’ve Got the Kingdom Locked Up**

He can’t help it, he keeps looking at her.

Oliver knows he’s got to hold eye contact with the camera the second they go live, but for now, he can’t pull his eyes away from Felicity. She looks scared and small and he hates it because he knows how hard she’s trying to be strong. He knows she’s still not certain this is the right thing to do, but they’ve all agreed that they’re backed into a corner. This is the only way out.

Damien Darhk’s going live on the air at 7pm to announce that Oliver Queen is (and has always been) the Starling City vigilante. So, Oliver’s Queen’s going live at 6:45, in full Green Arrow gear.

Felicity taps a button on her tablet and sets it down, wrapping her arms around herself and finally returning his gaze. Showtime.

“My name is Oliver Queen,” He announces as soon as the red light on the small camera setup signals to him that he’s live. “But you knew that. Or you were about to, anyway.”

He can see his team standing behind the tripod, just out of focus. His sister, his brother, one of his oldest friends, and… Felicity. The great love of his life. The meaning he hadn’t known he was searching for until he found it.

“After five years away, I came home with only one goal: to save my city,” he repeats the speech like it’s etched on his brain, trying not to pay attention to his face projectedon the smaller monitors around their headquarters.

“Along the way, I gained a brother…”

Digg shuffles his feet but his entire upper body remains rigid. It’s the longest they’ve been in a room together since Oliver’s been back and he knows he can’t hope for much. But when the other man meets his eyes and furrows his brow, it’s enough.

“I saw people that I’ve known my entire life become superheroes.”

His sister bows her head and he knows they’re both thinking about the other night . They’ve come a long way in the weeks since he and Felicity had returned, but it had taken some time to have a successful night in the field where Oliver trusted both Speedy’s instinct and her ability to protect him. The other night, diving through a glass skylight together, while certainly an unconventional sibling bonding experience, had been a breakthrough.

Then his eyes are back on Felicity, because she’s the reason he’s here at all. The creator of his new suit, the brains of the operation, the protector of his soul.

“And I fell in love.”

It’s the absolute worst time to notice how beautiful she looks, but it’s not like he can help himself. Now that he has her, he wants her viscerally, deep in his bones, all of the time. Plus, that’s one hell of a dress.

“But I lost people, forever…”

He continues his speech, hazarding a glance at Laurel, and he wants so badly to tell her the plan that he and Felicity have begun concocting. But giving her any kind of hope with the limited information they have so far would be cruel. He needs to be sure.

“The person that I was, and the persona that I created, failed.” He bows his head for just a second, then gathers his most heroic voice. “But Star City – not Starling City, but Star City – still needs saving. And all of you can bet your last dollar that me and my team will bust our asses saving it or breathe our last breaths trying.”

He tries not to notice, but Felicity’s gasp is big enough that he can see her rock back on her heel just beyond his line of focus. That last part hadn’t been in the speech he had practiced earlier. It’s going to be a discussion later, but he’s long past the fear that she’ll run any direction but towards him.

“All of you have come with us this far, and I will ask you to come just a little bit further with the Green Arrow. With me.”

It’s a plea to this city and his team at the same time, even though the fact that they’re quite literally standing with him as he makes this announcement answers the most important of his worries.

“My name is Oliver Queen,” he repeats, pushing back his hood and removing his mask. He lets his eyes flit quickly, unconsciously, to Felicity’s and she gives him the tiniest of nods that reinforces the steel in his backbone. He locks eyes with the camera. “And I’m running for mayor.”


End file.
